Background
George Bowes was baptized on 4 September 1701, the youngest son of Sir William Bowes, Member of Parliament, and Elizabeth Bowes (née Blakiston).
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George Bowes
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Career
The Bowes family had been prominent in County Durham, with their ownership of the estate and castle of Streatlam but, in 1713, George"s father acquired (from his wife"s family) the Gibside estate which included some of the area"s richest coal seams and led to the family"s acquisition of immense wealth through the coal trade. Her death was commemorated in a poem, written by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, which implied that she had died as a result of Bowes" sexual vigour. Bowes went on to marry Mary Gilbert in 1743 and had one daughter, Mary Eleanor Bowes, born 24 February 1748 (old style)/1749 (new style).
They formed the Bowes-Lyon family, one of whose descendants was the late Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, known in Britain as The Queen Mother.
Hence, George Bowes would be the present Queen Elizabeth II"s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. George Bowes" principal residence was Gibside, a mansion on the banks of the River Derwent, in County Durham.
The surrounding park was laid out by Lancelot "Capability" Brown and includes a column, 140 feet high, dedicated to British liberty.
Achievements
Membership
11th Parliament of Great Britain. 7th Parliament of Great Britain. 8th Parliament of Great Britain.
9th Parliament of Great Britain.
10th Parliament of Great Britain]
Bowes was for some years the Member of Parliament for County Durham and he was rich and influential, largely on account of the coal which lay beneath his estates.
